Appabatus



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

o. G. PALMER. REFRIGERATING APPARATUS. No. 290,795. Patented Dec. 2 5', 1883.

WITNEssEs LmvENToR w3, `Q am By .Attorney 7% @Ma/c. A

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(No Mpdel.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' C. C. PALMER. l l y REFRIGERATING APPARATUS. N0. 290.795.

Patented De... 25, 1883.

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INVENTOR 2f? @wa f By his Attorneys N. FETERQ Photo-mnugupmr. wzmngtm. 0.2.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.) l

A C. G.PALMER.

RBFRIGBRATING APPARATUS. No. 290,795. Patented Dec. 25, 1888.

m IMM INVENTOR @W .wu/

wlVTNEssEs By k/.S .Attorneys .V/ l Y struction of certain apparatus, by the operav frigeration of air for any purpose, such as the in which beer is placed for storage or fer- Uivirnn STATES trice..

PATENT REFRIGERATING APPARATUS;

SPECIFICATION forming part of .Letters Patent No. 290,795, dated December 25,1883.

Application tiled December 31), 1832. (No model.)

.T0 a/ZZ whom, it may con/cern,.-

Be it known that I, GAssrUs CLAY PALMER, of Oakland, Alameda county, in the State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Refrigerating Apparat-us, of which the following is a specification.

Heretofore various met-hods for refrigerating air have been in use with more or less success, most prominent among which may be mentioned apparatus for circulating the air in direct contact with ice; also, apparatus for circulating the air in contact with the exterior of vessels or pipes containing a freezing-mixture or brine; also, apparatus for compressing theair, cooling it in the compressed state, and expanding it; also, apparatus for circulating the air in contact wit-h the exterior of receptacles containing expanded ammonia-gas. All of these methods, however, are open to serious objections which are very familiar to those acquainted with their use.

My improvement consists, primarily, in refrigerating air by the agency of chloride of ethyl, which I have found to possess substantial advantages, hereinafter referred to, over any of the refrigerating agents which have heretofore been employed for the purpose.

My improvement also consists in the contion of which great advantages are acquired in the manipulation of 'a' volatile fiuid as an agent for the refrigeration of the atmosphere.

My improvement may be applied to the represervation of putrescible substances; but I have ascertained that it has especial features of utility when employed for the refrigeration of the air contained within compartments withmentation.

Figure l of the accompanying drawings represents an elevation of a form of apparatus which I prefer to use in practicing my invention. Fig. 2 represents a plan view. Figs. 3 and 4 represent detailed views of the refrigerator and its connect-ions, thecap c being represented in both its opened and closed positions in Fig. 4.

My apparatus may be divided into five parts-namely, the refrigerator, the condenser, the compressor, the pressure-blower, and the chill-room.

.The refrigerator may consist of any number of parts like that which I am about to deperforated plates.

scribe, the number of such parts being regulated in accordance with the space required to be cooled by the apparatus.-

In Figs. l and 2 I have'shown the refrigerator as containing four of these part-s. Figs. 3 and 4 show the construction of each of these parts.

A represents a cylinder, which I prefer to construct of copper when chloride of ethyl is used as the refri geratin g agent. This cylinder is made sufficiently strong to withstand the atmospheric pressure upon its exterior when i'n use, and is provided at each of its ends with a cap, a a', joined to the `cylinder in such a way as to prevent the escape of the air, which is forced through the apparatus by the pressurc-blower. These caps I also prefer 4to con; struct of copper. Each of these caps is provided (preferably at its center) with a pipe, b b, one for conducting air into the cylinder and the other for conducting it out.

Two perforated plates, c c, are situated`` within the cylinder-one at each end-andil such position that an air-space is left between each perforated plate and the cap inelosing it. These perforated plates are` so connected at their edge with the interior of the cylinder as to prevent any communication between the air which is `contained within the caps a a and the fluid which is contained between the From one of these perforated plates to the other extend tubes which are fitted at each end into the perforations of the plates by tight joints, which tubes afford communication from the air-space at one end of the cylinder to the air-space at the other end of the cylinder. These tubes and the perforated plates are also made, preferably, of copper when chloride of ethyl is used. The pipe e serves to conduct the fluid into the space around the tubes in the cylinder, this pipe being preferably located at the top and near one end of the cylinder. Another pipe, f, serves to conduct the fluid in its expanded state away from the cylinder, and is situated, preferably, near the other end of the cylinder at its top, the second pipe being somewhat larger` than the first pipe, so as to provide for the difference in volume of the fluid caused by its ex pansion in the cylinder. The nozzle of the pipe b', which conducts the air away from the,

cylinder, is made, preferably, smallerthan the pipe b, which conducts the air to the cylinder,'

so as to assist the pressure-blower in keeping ICO -up a certain amount of pressure of air within the tubes d in the cylinder, and thereby causing the air within the tubes, throughout their whole length, to be kept in intimate contact with the interior of the tubes. The cylinders A are each surrounded by a masonry inclosure7 which is so built as to leave the caps a a projecting outside, and so as to leave a space around outside each cylinder A on all sides. This space is divided by a longitudinal partition, h, (shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1,) connecting the bottom ofthe cylinder with the floor, and the air which is to pass through the refrigerator before entering the pipe bis conducted by the pipe fi into the inclosed space around the cylinder A, on one side ofthe partition 7L, and passes around the cylinder to enter the pipe Z1, which connects with the inclosed space on the other side of the partition h, as shown. The object of thus conducting the air taken from the chill-room around the exterior of the cylinder before it is passed through the tubes d is for economy, because the air received from the chill-room is colder than atmospheric air,

and thus presents a barrier to the entrance of heat from the atmosphere into the refrigerator. Another object is to cause the air to leave considerable of its moisture condensed on the cold exterior of the cylinder A before it enters the tubes d.

' As means of access to the interior of the pipes d, the caps a a are preferably each constructed in two equal parts, a a, Fig. l4c, said parts being hinged at s, and when closed meeting together,so as to make a tight joint around the pipes b b and with each other. NVhen closed, they may be secured together by bolts, or in any other suitable manner. Each of the pipes f connects with the cylinder or pipe f', which is in turn connected with `the compresser by the pipe j. The pipe j" is preferably somewhat larger in area than the combined area of all the pipes f, for the purpose of distributing the suction of the compressor equally to all the cylinders and preventing the beats or strokes of the compressor being felt -in the cylinders A.V The compressor is represented in Figs. l and 2, the compressioncylinder being lettered B and the steam-cylinder C. No detailed description of this compressor is necessary, since it is constructed similar to pumps for compressing gases which have been heretofore in use. The compression of the chloride of ethyl requires a power of only about fteen pounds. The refrigerating-luid, in an expandedrcondition, is drawn from the refrigerator to the compression-pump through the exhaust-pipes f, f and j and from the compressing` pump the iiuid, in a compressed state, is conducted through the pipe la to the condenser, where it is converted from a gasY to a liquid.

rIhe condenser consists of a tank, D, to con'- tain a cooling-liquid, (generally water of ordinary temperature,)within which are immersed the coil of pipes Z, through which the refrigerating-iuid passes after leavin g the compress- 1 not be speciiically described.

ing-pump, for the purpose of having its temperature reduced and being converted from the gaseous to the liquid state, preparatory to being returned to the refrigeratorthrough the pipe m. Of course, the condenser may be varied in many ways, and the cooling agent by which the condenser pipes 'are surrounded may be varied in many ways, in accordance with the amount of cold which it is desired to secure.

The chill-room may be a beer-cellar in a brewery, or it may be the chamber of a provision-refrigerator. It is constructed, preferably, with non-conducting walls E, and contains a system of distributing-pipes, a, connected with the air-pipes b, containing openings o, arranged at various points in the chillroom, so that the cold air may be equably distributed to all parts of the chill-room or wherever required. In the drawings these openings are shown as located between the rows of tubs I), which are supposed to contain fermenting beer, about on a level with their tops, though, of course, it might be discharged at otherpoints, if required. q is the pipe through which the air is drawn out of the chill-room, which may be connected with distributingopenings, as shown.

In the fermenting-room of a brewery, when cooled by my apparatus, the open tubs of fernienting beer are stood in the positions occupied by the tubs l? in the drawings, and the cold air, being thus discharged from the openings 0 in the position shown, meets with and absorbs the carbonio-acid gas flowing over the edges ofthe tubs; but at the same time the draft of air is so directed by the nozzles 0 as to produce the lowest temperature at the bottoms of the tubs, whereby the beer at the bottoms of the tubs is kept as cold as or colder than the beer at the surface, so that the gas which is thrown off by the fermentation of the beer at the bottom of the tubs will not be reabsorbed by the beer above in passing through it.

The pressure-blower F is constructed like the pressure-blowers heretofore in use, such as the Baker or Root blowers, and hence need It is driven by a belt or other means of connection with the engine. It draws the air from the chill-room through the pipe q and forces it into the refrigerator through the pipes r and Of course, other air-forcing apparatus might be used in lieu of the pressure-blower, though I think not to so great an advantage. rIhe connections of the pressure-blower might be reversed, so as to discharge the cold air from the pipe q and exhaust it through the pipes a a and openings o.

By arranging valves in the pipes i and b and e and f, connected with each of the cylinders A, I can throw any one or more of the cylinders into or out of operation at will, so that any oneof them can be cleaned or repaired while the others are in operation, both the refrigerating-iiuid and the air being di- IOO IIO

verted from entering the cylinder for the time being. The number and length of the tubes and the frequency of compression and expansion of the refrigerating-fluid for securing the proper degree of cold will of course depend upon the size of the chill-room and the iniiuence of external heat and the amount of heat given off by the contents of the chill-room; but for a chill-room having ten thousand cubicfeet capacity, with ordinary non-conducting walls, and containing barrels of i'ermenting beer, I have found that a temperature of 38 Fahrenheit could be secured by refrigerators containing eighty-four tubes, each tube one and one-quarter inch in diameter and seven feet long, the cylinder being thirty inches in diameter, and the amount of chloride of ethyl in use being about eight hundred pounds, and being compressed and expanded about once in every two or three hours, the condenser also containing water at about 7 6 Fahrenheit temperature, and the air in the chill-room being conducted through the cooling-tubes about once every hour.

In operating my apparatus I prefer to have at least one of the cylinders A all the time idle while the others are in operation, so that if any of those in operation require cleaning or repairs its valves can be closed and the valves of the idle cylinder Vcan be opened, so that the number of cylinders in operation will not be reduced. In operating the apparatus shown in Figs. l and 2, therefore, I open the valves of three of the cylinders, leaving the valves of the fourth one closed. I then start the operation of the pressure-blower and the compressing-pump. Before introducing the chloride of ethyl into the apparatus, the valve k, Fig. 1, is closed, and apetcock, k', is opened,

`so that by operating the compression-pump the air is exhausted from all parts of the apparatus intended for the volatile fluid. The chloride of ethyl, which under atmospheric pressure is in the form of a liquid, is then allowed to flow into the apparatus through the petcock fw, and, expanding, iills the apparatus with its vapor, and during the operation of the apparatus the condenser and the space around Vthe tubes cl and the connecting-pipes cont-ain vacuum, which is retained therein by the exhaust of the compressor. From the condenser the liquefied chloride of ethel passes through the pipes m and e into the cylinders A, where (the cylinders containing a partial vacuum) it expands into a gas around the tubes d, thereby correspondingly reducing its temperature, so as to extract the heat from the pipes d and the air passing through them. Inthe expanded state the chloride of ethyl is drawn by the ex-l haust of the compressor through the pipes fj back to the cylinder B, where it is compressed, and then goes through the same operation over again. WVhilethe treatment of the chloride of ethyl is progressing, as above described, the pressure-blower draws air out of the chillroom and forces it, under a slight pressure, through the pipes r and t' into the inclosed spaces surrounding the cylinders A. Thence the air, still under a slight pressure, passes through the pipes b, within the space between the caps a and the perforated plates c, and thence through the tubes d and into the space between the caps a and the perforated plates c. From this space the airl is conducted through the pipes b and t back to the chillroom, into which it is distributed bythe pipes n from the openings o. In its turn this air is again drawn into the pipe q, and the same operation upon it is repeated.

In making the excursion above described the air is not finally cooled till it reaches the tubes d,- but as it passes through the tubes d the difference in area between the pipes b and b, already mentioned, assists the pressureblower in keeping the air under a slight pressure, which aids in bringing it into intimate' Contact with the interior ofthe tubes d, and its heat is taken up bythe pipes and given by them to the chloride of ethyl surrounding them, which carries it to the condenser and leaves it there, preparatory to returning to take away the heat of any other air which may be passing through the tubes when it returns to the cylinders A. Not only is the air in this manner deprived of its heat as it passes through the tubes, but by reason of its loss of heat it also loses its capacity to hold moisture, and its moisture is therefore deposited on the interior of the tubes in the form of ice or snow, the air in the chill-room being thus kept very dry. Still another impurity which the air leaves in the tubes in casei the apparatus is applied to refrigerating fermenting-rooms is the carbonic-acid gas resulting from the fermentation, which gas is very soluble in the moisture held by the air when it enters the tubes, but is very slightly soluble by the dry air as it leaves the tubes. The gas is therefore dropped by the air and left in solution in the snow or ice deposited in the tubes. So marked is this result that fermenting-rooms, which, when refrigerated as `here- IOO IIO

tol'ore, habitually contained so much `carbonic- The moisture and impurities taken ing-pipes of that cylinder, and at the same time open the valves in the cylinder which was previously idle. Of the cylinder thus cut off, I open the caps a a by swinging the two halves of each cap back on their hinges. The tubes within the cylinder are thus exposed at both ends, and to clean them out I cause water of the ordinary temperature or steam or other comparatively temperate fluid, to flow through them. This water thaws the snow and ice deposited in the tubes and washes them all out clean. The caps of the cylinder are then closed, and the cylinder is ready to be put into operation again whenever needed. In this manuel' I am enabled, without interfering with the operation ofthe apparatus, to keep it free from obstructions.

In order to produce a temperature below7 the boiling-point of the refrigerating-fluid used, (which, for chloride of ethyl, is 520,) it is necessary that the capacity ofthe compressi11g-pump and the relative areas ofthe pipes leading from the compressor to and from the refrigerator should be so regulated that in operation a partial vacuum is continually preserved around the tubes d within the cylinders A. eThe extent of vacuum required will depend upon the lowness of the temperature desired for the air.

In practice I have found that when the air being delivered into the chill-room showed a temperature of 40D Fahrenheit a vacuumgage connected with the interior of the cylinder A registered about fifteen inches, and when the air being delivered to the chill-room was at about 28 Fahrenheit the vacuumgage stood at twenty inches, though the vacuum-gage in' these instances would have registered less if the air from the chill-room had been passed more frequently through the pipes d than it was in fact, the air in the chill-room in the examples referred to being passed through the tubes d once every hour.

In order to provide for producing this partial vacuum within the cylinders A, I place in the branch pipes leading from the pipe e to each refrigerator a cheek-valve, c, near the point where each branch pipe empties into its refrigerator, by partially closing which I am enabled to so impede the passage of the fluid from the condenser to the refrigerator as to prevent its being supplied to the refrigerator sufficient-ly fast to fully supply the place of the gas which is exhausted from the refrigerator by the compressing-pump. Thus the extent of vacuum produced within the refrigerator, and consequently the temperature communicated to the air passing through the tubes d, may be regulated at will by simply varying the position of the check-valve e', and 'the fluid does not begin to vaporize, practr cally, until after it has passed the valve c.

I have described the apparatus which I prefer to use in practicing my invention 5 but it varied in many features without departing from the scope of my invention.

Se far as I know, previous to my invention no apparatus was known practically adapted for the application of chloride of ethyl as a refrigerating agent to the refrigeration of air, and I believe myself to be the first one to refrigerate air by means of chloride of ethyl. I furthermore believe that my apparatus contains certain novel features which might be vused to advantage in refrigerating with other agents than chloride of ethyl.

Some of the advantages of my method are the following Very little pressure is required to compress the chloride of ethyl, thus requiring little power or strength of machinery, and producing little wear of machinery, and little liability of breakage, leakage, and loss of the fluid. The chloride of ethyl is neutral, and attacks no metal; therefore any metal can be used in the construction of the machine, and Iam enabled to use copper for the tubes cl, (one of the best conductors of heat,) while with some other fluids only iron can be used, which is one of the poorest conductors, and does not make tight joints, as does copper. Chloride of ethyl is not noxious to the smell or injurious to the health.

In my machine all of the parts of the apparatus traversed bythe refrigerating-iluid may be in the machine-room, readily accessible to the engineer. lThe tubes d can be readily cleaned of any moisture frozen in them which tends to impair their conductivity or obstruct them. Access to the apparatus does not require the chill-room to be opened. The atmosphere of the chill-room is deprived of carbonic-acid gas and other impurities. Chloride of ethyl, when expanded so as to produce cold, deposits crystals on any substance with which it may be in contact, which crystals accumulate so as to have the appearance of frost or snow. It also expands slowly when volatilized.

I am aware that attempts have heretofore been made to use chloride of ethyl for freezing liquids; but I do not know of any attempts prior to my invention in this direction which were practically successful.

One of the principal reasons why the apparatuses before known could not be used with practical advantage with chloride of ethyl has been because the expansion of the chloride'of ethyl took place in a passage of restricted sectional area-in fact, of a sectional area not greater than the supply-pipe for the compressed iuid. IVhen expanded in such a passage, the tendency of the gas to form the crystals referred to and the slowness of its expansion form unsurmountable obstacles to its successful use, because the formation of the crystals quickly iills up the area of the passage where the gas first begins to expand and prevents further circulation, and the slowness of the expansion of the gas prevents its being "diffused quickly throughout the remote end will be apparent that the apparatus may beV of the expansionlpassage, and thereby prevents a uniform distribution of cold. In my method and apparatus provision is made for :introducing the fluid to be expanded within a chamber of large sectional area in comparison with the sectional area of the supply-pipe, so that whatever crystals may be created within the `chamber and deposited therein will occupy so small a space in comparison with the sectional area of the expandingpassage or chamber as notto materially obstruct the passage of the expanded gas through the same. These crystals spontaneously volatilize when exposed to a temperature higher than the temperature at which they are formed, so that whenever the apparatus is stopped any accumulation of them which has been formed in the expansion-chamber will spontaneously disappear. By having the expansion-chamber of large sectional area, my method is also adapted for the slowness with which the fluid expands, and the gas is diffused throughout all portions of the chamber with sufficient rapidity.

It will be noticed that the bottom of the condenser is above the level of the bottom of the refrigerator, so that in the relationship of the apparatus shown in the drawings the chloride of ethyl would exist throughout the i. greater part of the condenser in a gaseous condition, which will be converted into a liquid as it becomes cool, and will collect in a liquid form to a comparatively small extent at the bottom of the condenser. This liquid, running through the connecting-pipe into the refrigerator, will collect therein to a considerable depth, where, as it gradually absorbs heat from the air-tubes, it will be converted into a gas, which accumulates in the upper portion of the refrigerator. This gas apparently is generated in various portions of the liquid where it comes in contact with the heating-surfaces, and as it bubbles up through the liquid chloride of ethyl from the points at which it is generated, it readily escapes from thelarge area of exposed surface, and the gas produces a boiling effect in the refrigerator.

The apparatus I have described may be located outside the chill-room, with pipes connecting therewith; or it may be located within the chill-room, or partly inside and partly outside.

I have made an application of even date herewith for certain features of the above invention, and I therefore do not claim those features in this application, and some of the features shown herein and not claimed are shown and claimed in another application dated August 15, 1883, Serial No: 103,827, for another form of apparatus.

I am aware of the patent granted to Charles Tellier, dated January 5, 1869, and numbered 85,719, and do' not make claim to anything therein described. That patent states that it is necessary in cooling air by the Tellier method not to allow the airto be cooled below the freezing point in the apparatus. This would not reduce the temperature of a chillroom sufficiently for practical purp oses, and, to gether with other features, renders the Tellier method incapable of accomplishing the results for which mine is adapted.

1. In a refrigerator, the vessel A, having one or both of its ends formed in two parts, and constructed to be secured in a closed position, substantially as described.

2. The process of purifying the air of a fermenting-room from carbonic-acid gas, which consists in forcing said air into contact witha cold surface, whereon to deposit its moisture and carbonio-acid gas, and returning said air thus puried to said room again, substantially as described.

y 3. The refrigerator containing two or more air-cooling chambers, each chamber having independent inlet and outlet air-passages connecting with a chill-room and independent mechanism for cutting off the circulation of the air, so that the air being cooled may be cut oif from one chamber while continuing to circulate through another, as set forth.

4. The combination, with the fluid-compressor.` of two or more air-refrigerating chambers connected with a chill-room by air-conduits and means for connecting and disconnecting the fluid-compressor with any one or more of said refrigerating chambers independently of the others, substantially as described.

5. In combination, the air-pipes d, the inclosing-vessel A, and the inclosure g, having inlet and outlet air-passages and inclosing an air-space around the vessel A, substantially as described.

6. In combination, the air-tubes d, the vessel A, the pipe b, and the movable caps a a, for inclosing the air-space between the pipe and the tubes, substantially as described.

7. The air-tubes, in combination with the inclosing-vessel provided with air-passages connecting with the interior of the air-tubes, and other passages connecting the chamber surrounding the tubes with the gas-compressor, and mechanism whereby access may be had to the interior of the air-tubes for removing the moisture frozen therein.

8. In combination with the pipe for conducting the volatile fluid in a liquid state away from the condenser, the enlarged exp an sionchamber connected therewith, and the check-valve located in said pipe, whereby the iiow of the volatile fluid to said chamber is regulated, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

9. In a refrigerator, the vessel A,containing airtubes d, opening at each end of said vessel, and having removable caps a, each made IOO IIO

adapted to embrace the air-pipe b, when closed,

` substantially as described.

CASSIUS CLAY PALMER. 

